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21 August - Blogs I'm Following

You know how Señor Trumpanzee has been running around trying to trick people into thinking he's been reborn as a friend of African-Americans? No more Mr. Racist. He thinks he can try the same stunt with Hispanics too. Friday he had a meeting with the newly formed Trumpanzee Hispanic Advisory Council and told them he's open to hearing ways of dealing with the 10 million-plus Latinos in the U.S. without documents in a way that doesn't necessarily involve breaking down their doors and shipping them back to their countries of origin. That might not go over well with Trump's hardcore f...more »

*BBC:* *Rio Olympics 2016: Spectacular closing ceremony as Olympic flag goes to Tokyo* The Rio Olympics ended with a spectacular carnival-inspired closing ceremony, and the official handover to 2020 hosts Tokyo. The colourful ceremony, lasting almost three hours, celebrated Brazil's arts and was held in a wet Maracana. Among the highlights were Tokyo's impressive showcase and a vibrant carnival parade. "These were a marvellous Olympics, in a marvellous city," said International Olympic Committee chief Thomas Bach. "Over the last 16 days a united Brazil inspired the world, *Rea...more »

Hillary Clinton is so out of touch, she thinks that she can woo a lost generation of debt-crushed Bernie Sanders supporters by delivering a sermonette from the glossy perfumed pages of *Teen Vogue* (part of the high-fashion publishing empire of her friend, Anna Wintour.) Either she's that clueless, or she's cynical enough to gleefully rub their noses in her elitist crap. For if truth be told, she neither wants nor needs the Bernie vote, as evidenced by her recent marathon of buck-raking from Wall Street, Hollywood, Silicon Valley and the Neocons and war profiteers of the military...more »

*“If confirmed by further experiments, this discovery of a possible fifth force would completely change our understanding of the universe,” says UCI professor of physics & astronomy Jonathan Feng, including what holds together galaxies such as this spiral one, called NGC 6814. Image credit: ESA/Hubble & NASA; Acknowledgement: Judy Schmidt.* *You can well imagine my excitement when I recently learned that scientific research theoretically confirmed through experiments that a Fifth natural force of the universe does exist and that it could well be the manifestation of...more »

“Bright spiral galaxy NGC 3169 appears to be unraveling in this cosmic scene, played out some 70 million light-years away just below bright star Regulus toward the faint constellation Sextans. Its beautiful spiral arms are distorted into sweeping tidal tails as NGC 3169 (left) and neighboring NGC 3166 interact gravitationally, a common fate even for bright galaxies in the local universe. In fact, drawn out stellar arcs and plumes, indications of gravitational interactions, seem rampant in the deep and colorful galaxy group photo. *Click image for larger size.* The picture spans 20 ar...more »

*“To Love The Darkness”* by Chet Raymo "You darkness, that I come from, I love you more than all the fires that fence in the world, for the fire makes a circle of light for everyone, and then no one outside learns of you. But the darkness pulls in everything: shapes and fires, animals and myself, how easily it gathers them! - powers and people - and it is possible a great energy is moving near me. I have faith in nights." "I have long pondered these verses by the poet Rainer Maria Rilke (here translated by Robert Bly). I think I first ...more »

*"The Opening of Eyes"* "That day I saw beneath dark clouds The passing light over the water, And I heard the voice of the world speak out. I knew then as I have before, Life is no passing memory of what has been, Nor the remaining pages of a great book Waiting to be read. It is the opening of eyes long closed. It is the vision of far off things, Seen for the silence they hold. It is the heart after years of secret conversing Speaking out loud in the clear air. It is Moses in the desert fallen to his knees Before the lit bush. It is the man throwing away his shoes As if to enter heaven ...more »

*"Mystery of the 'Golden Ratio' Explained"* by Richard Merritt "DURHAM, N.C. - The Egyptians supposedly used it to guide the construction the Pyramids. The architecture of ancient Athens is thought to have been based on it. Fictional Harvard symbologist Robert Langdon tried to unravel its mysteries in the novel "The Da Vinci Code." "It" is the golden ratio, a geometric proportion that has been theorized to be the most aesthetically pleasing to the eye and has been the root of countless mysteries over the centuries. Now, a Duke University engineer has found it to be a compelling spr...more »

This blog's been here over 8 years with no ads, banners, popups or donation buttons. Due to pending changes in circumstances beyond my control I'm considering placing a Donation button here, reluctantly. Very simply, would you donate to keep things going as they are? I'm open of course to other fund raising ideas. Unlike the government I can't deficit spend, a situation many of you are also too familiar with, and really regret even considering this option, but have little choice. Please take a second to vote on the poll, at the top left sidebar, so I can determine what's the best t...more »

*“The First Moments of the Day: Conscious Creation”* by Madisyn Taylor, The DailyOM “Each morning when we awake, we have an opportunity to create our day with what inspires us the most. The moment during the day when we very first open our eyes and come into consciousness is a precious opportunity. It sets the tone for all that comes after it, like the opening scene in a film or novel. At this moment, our ability to create the day is at its most powerful, and we can offer ourselves fully to the creative process by filling this moment with whatever inspires us most. It may be that we...more »

*“Greatest Central Banker in History”* by Bill Bonner "Typical for August, the markets are going nowhere and doing nothing. Sometimes, though, there will be a foreshadowing of a major plunge in the summer. A dip…a sudden softness…an advance notice- hold that date!- of something bigger, coming in the fall. But so far…nothing. US stocks are near all-time highs. *An important anniversary: *Going by the Nobel Prize winner Robert Shiller’s favorite valuation measure, the CAPE ratio (which looks at stock prices relative to 10 years of earnings) only in 1929, 1999, and 2007 has the S&P 5...more »

"Nature is pitiless; she never withdraws her flowers, her music, her fragrance and her sunlight, from before human cruelty or suffering. She overwhelms man by the contrast between divine beauty and social hideousness. She spares him nothing of her loveliness, neither wing or butterfly, nor song of bird; in the midst of murder, vengeance, barbarism, he must feel himself watched by holy things; he cannot escape the immense reproach of universal nature and the implacable serenity of the sky. The deformity of human laws is forced to exhibit itself naked amidst the dazzling rays of eter...more »

*“Aetna, Obamacare and Health Insurers’ 10 Dirty Secrets”* by Brett Arends "Whom do U.S. health insurers think they’re kidding? The answer, of course, is: everybody. Industry giant Aetna AET, -0.79% just said it is dropping most of its Obamacare plans. That follows similar moves by rivals. It’s dealt a serious blow to the Affordable Care Act and its goal of universal health care in America. Conservatives I know say they are celebrating- somewhat prematurely- “the death of Obamacare.” Aetna cited losses on the plans as its reason. News reports since then say there’s another factor ...more »

"I want you to always hold your head up and follow your dreams wherever they take you. Don't you ever listen to the people out to hurt you or make you cry. Listen to your heart and be better than them. No one gets ahead by hurting others. The only real peace anyone will ever have is the one that comes from within. Live your life on your own terms and make it a happy life. Always. That's what's important.” - Sherrilyn Kenyon

[image: The cover of No Easy Day next to author Matt Bissonnette, who wrote the book under the pseudonym Mark Owen.] WASHINGTON (AP) -- The former Navy SEAL who wrote a book about his role in the raid that killed Osama bin Laden will pay the government more than $6.6 million for violating non-disclosure agreements and publishing without getting the document...more »

[image: Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump waves after delivering an economic policy speech to the Detroit Economic Club, Monday, Aug. 8, 2016, in Detroit. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)] Donald Trump's new campaign manager Kellyanne Conway said Sunday on CNN's State of the Union that it is "to be determined" whether Trump's official immigration policy will include a deportation force. After rumors began floating around yesterday that Trump was...more »

I've got nothing. I guess that means we're all perfect in my current group. Honorable mention would have to be our epic attempts at understanding just what the hell speed factor was. We had incidents of daggers striking a gazillion times when facing two-handed swords due to one attempted ruling. It wasn't until the 2000's when I finally understood what it was used for in AD&D 1st edition. That said I think AD&D 2nd edition had a great rule for that, where speed factor was added to initiative (where low rolls were preferable).

*[image: tools]* *Guest post by Don Boudreaux* On this excellent *EconLog *post by Alberto Mingardi, a fellow called “Phil” comments: *In his book ‘Economics Rules,’ Dani Rodrik says “The hedgehog’s take on a problem can always be predicted: the solution lies in freer markets … Foxes … sometimes … recommend more markets, sometimes more government.” It’s better to be a fox than a hedgehog, according to him.* (I add that “Phil” does not seem to endorse Rodrik’s point.) I’ve not read this Rodrik book, but I’m familiar with the argument. The argument is quite common. It’s also ...more »

Western media are working overtime to confuse public opinion and suppress efforts by some to deconstruct the entire Syrian mess. Social media, and even some 'peace movement list serves, are loaded with agents of the imperial war project that slam those who try to take a fair look at this issue. (It is my experience that Pentagon operatives and some elements within the right-wing of the Democratic Party are behind these attacks.) It has been obvious to me for a long time that the US, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Israel and Turkey have been the predominant funders, supporters and weapons s...more »

9 days from today, Tuesday, August 30, Florida will be holding it's primary. There are crucial races up and down the state, including the contest between progressive icon Alan Grayson and worthless puppet Patrick Murphy for the Senate nomination to face Rubio in November. On the congressional level, there is no race that has garnered as much national attention as the one in southern Broward County and Miami Beach-- FL-23, Tim Canova's challenge to the odious and deceitful Debbie Wasserman Schultz. A brand new poll by the fanatically and embarrassingly pro-Wasserman Schultz *Sun S...more »

[image: 13962511_858290450938395_5615636067149177085_n] One of the least attractive phenomena in more than a decade of unattractive things is the re-emergence into what passes for polite society of eugenics and explicit white supremacy. Even in places and from people I once thought I knew. (If you’re wondering, then I probably do mean you.) Trump is partly to blame. “B*y *launching his campaign on a ‘Mexican immigrants are rapists’’ platform,” Donald Trump flushed these things back up from the sewers and made them safe to talk about again. Turns out that dressing up economic pr...more »

Photo Kyaktavists and Canoes on the River by John Heminger Aug.20, 2016 By Brenda Norrell Censored News CANNON BALL, North Dakota -- Standing Rock Resistance Radio launched on Saturday, with the broadcast of their first interview, Waniya Locke, Lakota, at Red Warrior Camp. As thousands arrive in camp, Waniya describes the resistance to the Dakota Access Pipeline that threatens Indian

[image: gun - 900] BRIDGEPORT, Conn. (AP) -- A shooting at a crowded house party early Sunday left 13 people wounded, and police in Connecticut are investigating what they say is an unusual outburst of violence in the state’s largest city. Bridgeport police believe...more »

Austrian police say that a woman who has scratched around 1,000 cars cannot be stopped for technical reasons. The 35-year-old woman who suffers from mental health problems has been scratching people’s cars for six years, and continues to do so, with new victims coming forward all the time. Police say that they are powerless to take any action after a court ruled that she cannot be held accountable for her actions. ‘As long as the legal situation stays as it is, our hands are unfortunately tied,’ says Styria’s police commander. The Local reports: They say, however, that there is not m...more »

"*Darwinism is not a testable scientific theory, **but a metaphysical research programme.* *Statements or systems of statements in order to be ranked as scientific must be capable of conflicting with possible or conceivable observations."* *"Since we should call empirical or scientific only such theories as can be empirically tested, we may conclude that it is the possibility of an empirical refutation which distinguishes empirical and scientific theories... Those which are non-testable are of no interest to empirical scientists. * *They may be described as metaphysical."* K...more »

*An excerpt from, "Ex-CIA Director Who Endorsed Clinton Calls for Killing Iranians and Russians in Syria" By Murtaza Hussain, The Intercept, August 9, 2016: * "What they need is to have the Russians and Iranians pay a little price. When we were in Iraq, the Iranians were giving weapons to the Shia militia, who were killing American soldiers, right? *The Iranians were making us pay a price. We need to make the Iranians pay a price in Syria. We need to make the Russians pay a price.*" - Former CIA Director Michael Morell. As much some people hate to admit it, the former CIA director m...more »

President Duterte was on global news again yesterday, wow. And again, for the wrong reason. *UNexit. What a parochial, onion-skinned mind.* *"I do not want to insult you. But maybe we'll just have to decide to separate from the United Nations," he said.* *"If you are that rude, we might just as well leave," he said.* *"So take us out of your organisation. You have done nothing. Where were you here the last time? Never. Except to criticise," he said.* *Mr Duterte said the UN should refund its contribution "so we can go out".* *Mr Duterte said the UN had been unable to combat hunger a...more »

[image: Deep South Flooding_perr__1471267674_71.164.139.145] WALKER, La. (AP) -- Outside the small town of Walker, Louisiana, a rural Baptist church has become an oasis for flood victims. As waters rose amid torrential rains earlier this month, National Guard rescue crews dropped people off at South...more »

NASA has opened an online portal, making all the scientific research it funds freely available to all. America’s space agency has just launched a new web portal that hosts a treasure trove of scientific publications and digital data, with free online access to the public. Science Alert reports: The free online archive comes in response to a new NASA policy, which requires that any NASA-funded research articles in peer-reviewed journals be publicly accessible within one year of publication. “At NASA, we are celebrating this opportunity to extend access to our extensive portfolio of s...more »

*Steve Bannon: finding the right man for the job* *by Ken* Howie has already gone pretty thoroughly over the latest monstrous life form to be given command of the good ship Trump campaign, Breitbart Executive Chairman Steve Bannon ("The Pivot Has Come -- But, Predictably, In The Wrong Direction" -- to sail the ship triumphantly to the finish line in November, or do lay the groundwork for a right-wing media empire to rival Foxs?) Still, I couldn't resist Kerry Eleveld's Thursday DailyKos post "Former staff of Trump's new campaign chief call him 'one of the worst people on God's gr...more »

A distinguished mechanical engineer at NASA’s Ames Research Center has claimed that giant UFO’s in our solar system are “proliferating” faster than ever. According to Dr. Norman Bergrun, extraterrestrial life exists within the earth’s solar system and the alien spaceships that were first spotted in Saturn’s rings are “proliferating” to other planets including Uranus and Jupiter that also have rings. Sputnik news reports: The scientists argues that the some of the footage near the rings shows “exhaust” emanating from alien aircraft and he warned that things are getting “critical” in ...more »

[image: rant-jpeg-b] Sunday once again.. The so called "dog days" of summer in these parts of central Canada... And once again here is my weekly rant.... The temperatures here in these parts of Canada have started to "moderate" and we are heading towards cooler weather.... Yes, I did read the "Farmer's Almanac" and their predictions for this coming winter here in this part of the northern hemisphere, and I agree with them that we are going to get a very bitter and cold winter..... The upcoming cold winter is due to the solar cycle that our star, Sol, is presently under, and with th...more »

[image: Kim Davis - 900] Editor’s note: For the background on this story, see Kentucky Clerk Kim Davis Just Won Her Marriage Fight. A federal judge has dismissed all lawsuits against Kim Davis, the Rowan County, Kentucky clerk who refused to issue marriage licenses to gay...more »

[image: European Union flags in front of the Berlaymont building (European commission) in Brussels, Belgium.] ROME (AP) -- Italian Premier Matteo Renzi has invited his German and French counterparts to pay their respects at the tomb of one of the founding fathers of European unity in a symbolic bid to relaunch the European project after...more »

[image: Turkey Military Coup_perr__1468667716_71.164.139.145] ISTANBUL (AP) -- A child suicide bomber killed at least 51 people and wounded nearly 70 others at a Kurdish wedding party near Turkey’s border with Syria, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Sunday, decrying the attack as an attempt by...more »

[image: Houses - 900] CHICAGO (AP) -- Left out of federal labor law written decades ago, nannies, housekeepers and private caregivers are gaining legal protections in a growing number of states, with Illinois becoming the latest to establish a domestic workers’ “bill of rights.”...more »

*Let teenagers train to be teachers on the job as soon as they leave school, say heads: Proposals to let 18-year-olds be apprentices in the classroom* *This is back to the future. Teaching skills were normally acquired in this way in C19* Heads are to lobby the government to allow teenagers to train as teachers on the job as soon as they leave school. The Teaching Schools Council wants the first teaching apprenticeship scheme for 18-year-olds, which would see them go straight into the classroom. Currently, all teachers must either have a general degree or a specific teaching qu...more »

It looks something out of *The Onion* but that's because it's as if *The Onion* is scripting the Donald Trump campaign. This screengrab was taken from a Youtube video of a CNN panel that went berzerk when the Trump apologists opened their mouths to claim Donald Trump was a Civil Rights champion because he allowed blacks and Jews into one of his country clubs. Yes, they actually think that qualifies as civil rights activism. Forget that Malcolm X and Dr. King lost their very lives to that end or that Rep. John Lewis had his skull bashed in in the good name of Civil Rights o...more »

The International Republican Institute NGO headed by US Senator John McCain has been recognized as an undesirable organization by Russian prosecutors. They say the group is threat to the foundations of Russia’s constitutional order and state security and have banned the group’s operations in the country and forbidden any Russian organizations or citizens from cooperating with it. RT reports: “After studying the received files [describing the activities of the International Republican Institute], the Prosecutor General’s Office has made the decision to recognize it as an undesirable ...more »

*Following up on: Kurdish Terrorists Annex More Territory in Hasaka, Syria? Did the US Enforce a No-Fly Zone to Enable Annexation?* *CNN* In the most direct public warning to Moscow and Damascus to date, the new US commander of American troops in Iraq and Syria is vowing to defend US special operations forces in northern Syria if regime warplanes and artillery again attack in areas where troops are located. *"We've informed the Russians where we're at ... (they) tell us they've informed the Syrians, and I'd just say that we will defend ourselves if we feel threatened," *Lt. Gen. ...more »

A former CIA director has said he will vote for a third party candidate in the upcoming US presidential election because he is “uncomfortable” with both the Democratic and the Republican nominees. Michael Hayden told the Cats Roundtable radio show on Sunday: “I’m uncomfortable with the nominee of both of the major political parties” adding that “a vote is taking our sacred suffrage, our chunk of sovereignty, and bestowing it on someone because he or she is worthy, and I’m having trouble getting to that point with either of the major candidates“ Press TV reports: Having served under ...more »

The Israeli military launched strikes against two Hamas positions in the north of the Gaza Strip in response to a rocket attack the IDF reported on Sunday. Moments ago, in response to the rocket attack from Gaza. IAF & armored corps targeted 2 Hamas posts in the northern Gaza Strip. — IDF (@IDFSpokesperson) August 21, 2016 The IDF said the missile had been launched from the Gaza Strip and exploded in the southern Israeli city of Sderot. No injuries or damage were reported. At least two Palestinians were injured when both the Israeli Air Force and armored corps on the ground targeted...more »

I was mentioned in two reports by UK Home Office, “Country Information and Guidance Iraq: Security situation in Baghdad, the south and the Kurdistan Region of Iraq (KRI)” and "Country Information and Guidance Iraq: Security situation in the 'contested' areas".

“Why do I watch SML?” I ask myself this nearly every week. I might answer “For several reasons.” (Inner dialogue, you understand.) Firstly, there’s the sweet and sour factor. You know, the cringeworthy element that used to make us keep watching The Office from behind the sofa. Not a good analogy, really, because the Office made us laugh and you can’t say SML does that. Next, there’s the excitement of seeing who’s on the panel. Like with TBQ - you spot your favourites straight away. Douglas Murray, and, and, and…… well, you get the drift. Then there’s those contributions from the...more »

I met Michael Thompson aka Freestylee, Artist Without Borders online. I saw one of his posters of a veiled woman with exposed lips and one that made direct eye contact with the viewer. I found it at the time of Hurricane Katrina and the BP oil spill in The Gulf of Mexico. Another showed an iconic image of Marilyn Monroe black oil running down her face and onto a sexy satin dress. A major theme in Michael's work is the right to clean water. I resonated with his perceptions of the world, empathy and compassion for others, social justice, his love for our Mother Earth, wildlife, Jam...more »

*An excerpt from, "The Double Game" By Lawrence Wright, The New Yorker, May 16, 2011: * After the September 11th attacks, Pakistan abruptly became America’s key ally in the “war on terror.” *Under President George W. Bush, the U.S. gave billions of dollars to Pakistan, most of it in unrestricted funds, to combat terrorism. Pervez Musharraf, who served as President between 1999 and 2008, now admits that during his tenure he diverted many of those billions to arm Pakistan against its hobgoblin enemy, India.* “Whoever wishes to be angry, let them be angry—why should we bother?” Musha...more »

Last week Trump pivoted again. He said he "has regrets" and that he won't *ever* lie to the American people... and then released his first ad which got 4 Pinnochios from the *Washington Post* for averaging a lie every 4 seconds. The infographic above is a look at 20 pollticians who have run for president in recent years from least honest (top) to most honest. The only candidate who lied more frequently than Mr. Trumpanzee was the crackpot ex-Congresswoman Michele Bachmann, who is now one of his very few foreign policy advisors (since all the actual Republican foreign policy advisor...more »

Turkey, like Pakistan, is another Islamic nation that feels it can use terrorist groups like ISIS to punish domestic critics and minority groups seeking their rights without facing any diplomatic cost on the world stage. Both the Islamic world and the Western world condone the behaviour of both regimes. Both countries are major NATO partners, with Ankara listed as an official ally, and both are also members of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation. Neither NATO nor the OIC care about the fact they use terrorism as a political instrument for domestic and foreign policy purposes. S...more »

*The cowards who rule Washington, Kiev, and European capitals have no honour and no shame. They prey on the weak, and then when Putin shows up to defend them because they have no one else they scream Hitler.* *Video Title: Ukraine June 29, 2016 - Civilians Bombed by Kiev,USA. Source: Marine1063. Date Published: July 7, 2016. Description: * "June 29, 2016, the residents of the Trudovska Village experienced overnight bombardment coming from the Government-Held Territories of Marinka and Krasnohorivka as per Residential information. The Village is badly damaged and houses in ruins." -...more »

The scum who rule Arabia and America can't compete with people power. What is their plan for victory in Yemen? Create famine and genocide? If they're not pursuing that policy then they're not going to win.

*Video Title: Yazidi Activist and Survivor of ISIS Captivity. Source: MEMRI TV. Date Published: August 17, 2016. Description: * Yazidi Activist and Survivor of ISIS Captivity Nadia Murad: Yazidis Will Not Return to Sinjar without International Protection Yazidi activist Nadia Murad, who survived ISIS captivity, said in an interview with the Al-Arabiya network that the Yazidis will not return to Sinjar even if it is fully liberated unless the Yazidi genocide receive international recognition and the Yazidis are awarded international protection. Murad said that the Yazidis have lost...more »

"It seems we have broad liberties. But we do not have enough liberties - we need more. But at the front zone and in the occupied territories we have to act like the Americans did. *The territories we cannot get back we need to make them unsuitable for living. If they are not ours, then for nobody*." - Ukrainian Lt. Gen. Dumbfuck. *Video Title: "We have to act like the Americans did." Source: Marine1063. Date Published: June 28, 2016. Description: * They learned from America, "Democracy" and how to treat SE Ukraine.

Assad attacking Kurds has nothing to do with Kurds doing 'something wrong'. It's a dirty deal between Assad, Iran & Erdogan — Rojava (@AzadiRojava) August 20, 2016 YPG issues strong statement acsng Assad regime to attack while its forces fighting ISIS & warns about strng response https://t.co/6ciSTEvy4C — Mutlu Civiroglu (@mutludc) August 20, 2016 All you hear from self-righteous Muslim countries like Turkey, Iran, and Syria is "Death to America" and "Death to Israel" but they only fire their guns on their own people, suppress their calls for freedom and democracy, lock up their c...more »

By Paul Homewood h/t Nordisch-geo-climber http://www.swansea.ac.uk/media-centre/latest-research/oceanwarmingprimarycauseofantarcticpeninsulaglacierretreat.php A new joint study from the British Antarctic Survey and Swansea University has found that it is ocean warming, and not atmospheric temperatures, which has been responsible for glacier retreat on the Antarctic Peninsula. Swansea University issued this press release last month: A new […]

by Tim Scott *"The NSA has nothing on the monitoring tools that education technologists have developed in to 'personalize' and 'adapt' learning for students in public school districts across the United States" * *Jesse Irwin, **Model View Culture* *The state-finance matrix defined*: Influenced by David Harvey's notion of the state-finance nexus, the state-finance matrix is a highly disciplined neoliberal landscape where state power structures and technologies facilitate and protect the activities and interests of finance capitalism over all else. This matrix provides an insulated en...more »

The 2016 report on Freedom in the 50 States by the Cato Institute evaluating the state of freedom through 2014 is now available. The results of their evaluation of freedom based on fiscal policy, personal freedom, and regulatory policy are summarized in this map: Cato provides the weightings they used for the evaluation of freedom and one can change those weightings to one's personal preferences to see how the rankings change. But by Cato's weightings, the top ten freest states are ranked and graded as, with the party of the governor, the senate, and the house of the state added ...more »

Iguana Project The Iguana Project is as good a name as any other for this volatile thing that we're into. Why not? And so much for labels. The potential of the thing is so vast that we can't possibly define the ends-so all we can talk about for now is the "*potential*," the "*goals*," the possibility of massive "*leverage*," and the entirely reasonable idea that any body or bloc who can speak for twenty million voters will emerge - by mathematical definition - as a primary force in American politics. The original discussions - in Aspen, during late June and early July of 1971 ...more »

*“Burning Down the House”* by James Howard Kunstler "There’s a new feature to the Anything-Goes-and-Nothing-Matters economy: Nothing-Adds-Up. The magicians who pretend to measure the growth of GDP (Gross Domestic Product- the monetary value of all the finished goods and services) came up with a second quarter “adjusted” figure of 1.2 percent. That would have to be construed by anyone acquainted with basic econ stats as perfectly dismal. And yet the Bureau of Labor Statistics put out a sparkly Nonfarm Payroll Report of 255,000 for July, way above the forecast 180,000. There were so...more »

*“30 Words Americans Can’t Pronounce Correctly”* by Catey Hill “When you want quinoa at a restaurant, do you whisper your order for fear of mispronouncing it? When you find a bunch of peonies at the florist, do you simply point to the flowers so you don’t stumble over their pronunciation? If so, you’re not alone: Quinoa and peony are among the words that Americans struggle most to pronounce, according to an analysis done by Dictionary.com. To develop this list, the website examined internal data on the number of audio plays for pronunciation that each word receives, as well as lexi...more »

“Ten thousand years ago, before the dawn of recorded human history, a new light would have suddenly have appeared in the night sky and faded after a few weeks. Today we know this light was from a supernova, or exploding star, and record the expanding debris cloud as the Veil Nebula, a supernova remnant. This sharp telescopic view is centered on a western segment of the Veil Nebula cataloged as NGC 6960 but less formally known as the Witch's Broom Nebula. Blasted out in the cataclysmic explosion, the interstellar shock wave plows through space sweeping up and exciting interstellar ma...more »

*“Speak, Earth”* by Chet Raymo “There is a passage toward the end of Vladimir Nabokov' memoir "Speak, Memory" where he compares the writing of a novel to "the zest of a deity building a live world from the most unlikely ingredients—rocks, and carbon, and blind throbbings." This is the season in New England when we watch the deity in action, when the cold, rocky foundation suddenly seeps and oozes the fluids of life, the blood and tears and intestinal juices and sticky protoplasm. The first rays of summer filter to the woodland floor and wild lilies-of-the-valley, bell flowers and...more »

"Thucydides in the Underworld" by J. R. Nyquist "Master, what gnaws at them so hideously their lamentation stuns the very air?" "They have no hope of death," he answered me..." - Dante Alighieri, "The Inferno" "The shade of Thucydides, formerly an Athenian general and historian, languished in Hades for 24 centuries; and having intercourse with other spirits, was perturbed by an influx into the underworld of self-described historians professing to admire his History of the Peloponnesian War. They burdened him with their writings, priding themselves on the imitation of his method, ...more »

* "People Who Don’t Get It: Living with It"* by Madisyn Taylor, The DailyOM "When dealing with people who seem very unaware, remember that everyone must find their own way to awakening. You may be someone who understands the true nature of reality, perceiving deeply that we all emanate from the same source, that we are all essentially one, and that we are here on earth to love one another. To understand this is to be awakened to the true nature of the self, and it is a blessing. Nevertheless, people who just don’t get it are seemingly everywhere and, often, in positions of power. It...more »

*"Human Destiny- the Grace of the Present Moment"* by Michael Dowd "Our present situation, I think, can be summarized by the following three sentences: 1. The glory of the human has become the desolation of the Earth. 2. The desolation of the Earth is becoming the destiny of the human. 3. Therefore, all human activities, professions, programs and institutions must henceforth be judged primarily by the extent to which they inhibit, ignore or foster a mutually enhancing human/Earth relationship." - Thomas Berry "A thing is right when it tends to preserve the diversity, stability, and...more »

*"Will Human Evil Destroy Life On Earth?"* By Paul Craig Roberts “The World Wildlife Fund tells us that there are only 3,890 tigers left in the entire world. Due to exploitative capitalism, which destroys the environment in behalf of short-term profits, the habitat for tigers is rapidly disappearing. The environmental destruction, together with hunting or poaching by those who regard it as manly or profitable to kill a magnificent animal, is leading to the rapid extermination of this beautiful animal. Soon tigers will only exist as exhibits in zoos. The same is happening to lions, ...more »

"We must picture hell as a state where everyone is perpetually concerned about his own dignity and advancement, where everyone has a grievance, and where everyone lives with the deadly serious passions of envy, self-importance, and resentment." - C.S. Lewis

by Tim Scott *"The NSA has nothing on the monitoring tools that education technologists have developed in to 'personalize' and 'adapt' learning for students in public school districts across the United States" * *Jesse Irwin, **Model View Culture* *The state-finance matrix defined*: Influenced by David Harvey's notion of the state-finance nexus, the state-finance matrix is a highly disciplined neoliberal landscape where state power structures and technologies facilitate and protect the activities and interests of finance capitalism over all else. This matrix provides an insulated en...more »

[image: In this Aug. 4, 2016 file photo, President Barack Obama speaks during a news conference at the Pentagon. President Barack Obama returns from vacation rested and ready for a busy fall, including pressing Congress for Zika funding and fending off congressional attacks over the administration's $400 million "leverage" payment to Iran. Obama also plans a dogged effort to help elect Democrat Hillary Clinton as president.] EDGARTOWN, Mass. (AP) -- President Barack Obama is returning from vacation rested and ready for a busy fall, including pressing Congress for money to protect aga...more »

[image: Firefighters water down scorched compost material at a property burned near Phelan, Calif., on Friday, Aug. 19, 2016. The wildfire unleashed its initial fury on a semi-rural landscape dotted with small ranches and homes in Cajon Pass and on the edge of the Mojave Desert before climbing the mountains.] SAN BERNARDINO, Calif. (AP) -- In the aftermath of a wildfire, somebody has to figure out exactly what burned. It’s painstaking and important work that helps evacuated residents know if they lost everything or have something waiting for them when...more »

You want to know how red Tennessee has become? Obama didn't even break 40% in 2012 against Romney. All statewide officials are Republicans, including both U.S. Senators. The congressional delegation is made up of 7 right-wing Republicans, one progressive Democrat from Memphis, Steve Cohen, and a very conservative Blue Dog from Nashville, Jim Cooper who could just as well be a Republican in terms of his voting record. Both Houses of the state legislature have GOP super-majorities. In 2004 the GOP won their first majority in the state Senate since Reconstruction. Today they hold 28 o...more »

[image: Satanism imagery cropped compressed] These once United States have had Satanic moments before. Considering only the last half century, in 1966, Anton Szandor LaVey, a.k.a. Howard (‘Howie’?) Stanton Levey, founded the Church of Satan, borrowing ideas from Aleister Crowley’s Thelema “Do what thou wilt”...more »

[image: United States' Arman Hall, Tony McQuay, Gil Roberts and LaShawn Merritt celebrate winning the gold medal in the men's 4 x 400-meter relay final , during the athletics competitions of the 2016 Summer Olympics at the Olympic stadium in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Saturday, Aug. 20, 2016.] RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) -- Allyson Felix and LaShawn Merritt are savvy track stars who’ve been around long enough to know that not everything always goes to plan. Over the final 30 minutes of Saturday’s topsy-turvy night at the Olympic...more »

[image: Education] Six refugees are suing a Pennsylvania school district, claiming that the education is below their expectations. "[The] Plaintiffs are refugees who have fled war, violence, and persecution from their native countries," says the lawsuit against the Lancaster School District in east...more »

[image: Education John Adams Academy Logo - 900] I recently wrote a column that talked about the need for long-term, generational thinking among conservatives, and a hard break with the myopically political ways in which we conceive of solutions to our country's malaise. There is perhaps no area...more »

[image: In this Wednesday, Aug. 17, 2016 photo, rebels of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia southern bloc, FARC, listen to a lecture on the peace process in the southern jungles of Putumayo, Colombia.] JUNGLES OF PUTUMAYO, Colombia (AP) -- Deep in the country’s southern jungles, the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia are preparing for a peace deal that they and the government say could be just weeks away. Associated Press journalists recently visited...more »

[image: Graffiti reading in Arabic: 'Hey thieves, we want to eat' (L), 'Beware you dogs, ISIL is coming ' which was sprayed by opposition fighters is seen on the external wall of the church of Umm al-Zunnar in the old Homs neighbourhood of Hamidiyeh on May 12, 2014. The writing is on the walls of Homs, telling the story of the siege of this central Syrian city once dubbed the 'capital of the revolution' against President Bashar al-Assad.] Earlier this month at a Canadian press conference, several Mideast Catholic bishops argued the USA was mistaken to have overthrown Saddam Hussein, a...more »

[image: Semenya] A star athlete in the women's 800-meter race at the Rio Olympics has sparked an ethics debate over gender and sex in competitive sports. Caster Semenya, of South Africa, won the gold medal in the track and field event on...more »

By Paul Homewood He does not get any better, does he? This was Peter Stanford’s little contribution last Sunday. Note his forecast that temperatures would hit 35C, or even higher. As I reported on Thursday, temperatures only reached 27C, and that was almost certainly a fohn effect. As far as the Central England […]

Jack Layton was a perpetual optimist. But Chantal Hebert believes he'd find it hard to be optimistic about his party's current state of affairs. Perhaps that's because the party under Layton made the Harper government possible: At the last national convention Layton presided over, less than two months after the party’s historic breakthrough in Quebec, he was rightly celebrated for his election performance. But it was not all rainbows and roses. Among NDP members, elation over the party’s accession to the rank of official Opposition was often tempered by dismay at the advent of a H...more »

Loie had asked me to consider doing these memories as a story, and I intend to do that as time permits, but so much data is coming in I decided to just get this published, before it gets lost in the volume of work in the last 11 days. This may spark memories in others. -Terran. [8/17/16, 4:08:48 PM] Terran: Loie could we do some more heart work? Loie: Bill, yes, of course. I am with you. Let's go into your heart together this time? Loie Loie: I have something to show you. Terran: Absolutely! (hug) Loie: Here we go. Allow all to flow, Bill. It accelerates all. Loie. Terra...more »

In my last post I promised to take a harder look at the Irish electoral system of Open List PR-STV which is, as I said before a combination of a multi riding STV and Preferred Ballot system. I will start by covering some of the *remarks made by Michael Gallagher*, Professor of Comparative Politics, Trinity College Dublin and Michael Marsh, Emeritus Professor, Trinity College Dublin in their presentation to the Electoral Reform Committee. “Nothing comes without problems, and there are two problems in particular that might be identifiable. One is that constituencies as we call them, ...more »

[image: Jericho, Israel - November 2, 2015: Organized baptism for group of pilgrims in river of Jordan, the place which is believed that Jesus was baptized] "And having been set free from sin, you have become slaves of righteousness." -Romans 6:18 There's an awful lot of talk these days about inborn tendencies, especially in the sexual arena. Whereas once we judged the rightness or wrongness of...more »

[image: Target Shopping Cart Building - 900] Target plans to spend $20 million adding single-stall, lockable bathrooms to all store locations after a controversy over a new policy that allows transgender people to use the restroom and fitting room that correspond with the gender they self-identify with....more »

[8/10/16, 8:40:49 PM] Terran: ..... Speaking of her, can we connect to her? Denice: sure. . .start with a question. . .:) Denice: that helps me find the energy. . .there are lots here right now ;) Denice: and a new one I want to tell you about later Terran: Hello Isis, I just wanted to connect and converse for a moment. Terran: interesting how I feel that energy come in ISIS: *DEAR ONE/TERRAN. YES. I AM HERE. AND IN LAUGHTER AND JOY I SAY. WE ARE ALL "HERE". YOU DO FEEL THAT? ISIS.* Terran: Yes I do indeed but I am not quite skilled at communicating directly yet... but that wil...more »

1000Frolly analyses statements made by prof Brian Cox on "our" ABC's QandA. At 8:40 for instance, Tony Jones says: "*What would happen if we reached 2%* ?" He probably meant a temperature rise of 2ºC??? Scaremonger Cox replies: "*There are some shocking predictions....*." "*Absolute Absolute consensus!*" (Consensus is not a scientific term, Brian. It is a political term. Ed) 1000Frolly then points out that Brian Cox brought out an entirely fraudulent GISS graph and continues to annihilate Brian Cox' "evidence" whilst also pointing out some minor blemishes in Malcolm Robert's ca...more »

Just a quick note that I have finally gotten around to updating the *Philosophical Comment* blogroll, that is the list of linked blogs promoted on this page further down in the left hand side margin. I have basically taken off all old blogs that either has closed down since I listed them some years back, or that when I checked had not posted anything for a year or more. In addition the URLs for some of the still active blogs had been changed, so this has been updated as well. Among the new entries are: Three general purpose collectively run philosophy blogs that have appeared sinc...more »

There's been criticism of the BBC from Christian groups in recent days over what these groups see as the BBC's determination to sideline the Christian faith of Olympic athletes like Usain Bolt. The Jamaican is a devout Catholic and always gives praise to God both before and after his races. The complainants say that his faith never gets a mention in BBC interviews and articles. Plus, they cite things like this: When Usain Bolt fell on his knees to thank God after he had won the 200m in Rio, the BBC presenter talked about it being "a moment to himself".... ....when it was clearly...more »

[image: ZebLanyu_DSC02701] *This was her only smile during what was obviously a difficult trip for her. But she and the sea and Lanyu were all beautiful...* Another August, another trip out to Lanyu. My son, my man Drew of Taiwan in Cycles, and my bother in spirit Domenic Alonge headed out to experience the beauty of Lanyu (slogan: "A free goat with every pic!"). Pics below the READ MORE line if you can stand more of my favorite island... [image: ZebLanyu_DSC02681] Not a promising sky, but at least the sea was calm as we left Houbihu marina in Kenting for Lanyu. In the summer ferries...more »

For anyone with common sense and/or an allergy to bullshit, these past couple of weeks in this quadrennial are especially trying. We have another corrupt Olympics taking place in a sewer dressed up like a Potemkin village and bought and sold by corporations and, of course, we have another presidential election in which, as usual, we're given the choice of two elderly right wing oligarch psychopaths to vote for as President. And, to top it all off, thanks to a tragically misguided artist with national pretensions, we now have a good idea what one of them looks like naked. ...more »

Edward Snowden has warned the United States that the recent hack of NSA tied cyber spies was not designed to expose Hillary Clinton, but rather a display of strength by the hackers, showing they could eventually unmask the NSA’s own international cyber espionage and prove the U.S. meddles in elections around the world. Commentators had framed the latest hack as another political attempt to smear Hillary Clinton. However in a series of 10 tweets, former National Security Administration (NSA) contractor and whistleblower Edward Snowden explained that the situation was likely much more...more »

George Soros claims he is a god and “the creator of everything,” however the billionaire globalist also warns he is a “self-centred” god who believes “normal rules do not apply” to him. “I fancied myself as some kind of god …” he wrote. “If truth be known, I carried some rather potent messianic fantasies with me from childhood, which I felt I had to control, otherwise they might get me in trouble.“ When asked by Britain’s Independent newspaper to elaborate on that statement, Soros doubled down: “It is a sort of disease when you consider yourself some kind of god, the creator of ever...more »

[image: Water For Noncombatants - 900] Water For the Non Combatants -- The end of the battle for Saipan brought its first benefits to these Japanese civilians and natives of the Marianas island as US Marines provide food and water. This group lines up to get their rations...more »

I am still surprised to see today all the fraud rhetoric still being spewed out by the liars in the Jew spew media in regards to the fraudulent "Syrian boy in an ambulance" fiasco that has filled the minds of gullible people for the last few days..... It should be apparent to anyone that takes the time and uses a bit of critical thinking that we are seeing another US hoax with this latest "Syrian boy in an ambulance" scam.... Everything about this stinks to high heaven, and I would say absolutely without a shadow of a doubt that the criminals in the US Government have indeed concoct...more »

Given the logistics of getting this book done and published, there was no real opportunity to prepare an index. To me, this was a problem because I know how important an index can be. For those who need one, here it is. With the footnotes, and the names of the chapters, it should be easy for someone to find the specific passage or information that he or she wants. If we get into another edition, it might be possible to incorporate the index into the book. Index for *Roswell in the 21stCentury*: A *Above Top Secret* 270 Adair, Robin 56, 162 Air Force Attempt to Read Ramey Memo 373 *...more »

Based on a free excerpt captioned "A quick rundown of the ecocidal empires that came before us", I purchased the electronic version of "Extinction: A Radical History" by Ashley Dawson. Upon reading the entire book I was not surprised, having been forewarned, to see the typical finger pointing at capitalism - but it was more disappointing than usual since the author, who is a superb writer, did an excellent job delineating just how destructive humans have been ever since we emerged from Africa and learned to use fire and weapons to extirpate dozens upon dozens of animals we preyed...more »

Remember how Herr Trumpf used to go on endlessly at his bund rallies, in interviews and on Twitter about his polling numbers? That's when he was pulverizing the Republican Party's deep bench and bitch-slapping Sweaty Little Marco, Lyin' Ted, Low Energy Jeb and the rest of the sad sacks who thought they could go up against a NYC playground bully. These days... well, if he mentions polls it's only to whine that they're all fixed, like that sinister Fox poll that shows substantially more voters see Hillary as the lesser of two evils. The newest poll, released yesterday and showing Hi...more »

One of these days I'll be gone... one of these days I'll be dead... i was once like you... you will soon be like me... one of these days I'm gonna do something... I don't know what yet but it's gonna be good... one of these days I'm gonna make a difference...

*From* *Jenna Orkin* State Department: We were only going to pay Iran $400 million if they released the prisoners In other words, it was indeed ransom. There are 4 key reasons why oil has officially re-entered the bull market A convicted felon whose record exempted him from washing dishes at Uno Pizzeria is about to open a college US's first 'smart' nuclear weapon may signal new nuclear arms race with China and Russia *Crowdfunding For FOIA Request Fort Knox Audit Documents Completes Within 24 Hours. * Hillary Clinton Said Colin Powell Urged Her To Use A Private Email, FBI Notes R...more »

He tasks me. He tasks me, and I shall have him. I'll chase him round the Moons of Nibia and round the Antares Maelstrom and round Perdition's flames before I give him up! One thing I've learned about my own gaming style is for me, simpler seems to be better. I talked about that yesterday in a non-#RPGaDay post. While that's been a trend, that's not to say it'll always be the case. Some day I'll master *Champions*. That said my current white whale is the Fate system of RPGs. Truthfully the rules aren't that complicated - *Fate Accelerated *is a glorified pamphlet. But the appli...more »

[image: Screen Shot 2016-08-20 at 7.55.23 AM] A pregnant mother who was hit by shrapnel and had two limbs broken in a Syrian bombing has doctors to thank for the survival of her child. In a graphic video meant to highlight the plight of Syrians caught in...more »

President Putin has identified Western millennials as key players in the New World Order’s battle for global supremacy, and suggested he fears the millennial generation is being “rendered useless.” “They have been brainwashed and distracted from the real, how do you say, meat and potatoes issues facing our world. They have been distracted, rendering them useless,” Putin said. The 63-year-old Russian president, speaking to a Kremlin tour group, explained that “reality TV, smartphones, Pokemon Go,” have distracted millennials from what is really happening, and that “the issues they ac...more »

Leaked documents from the Open Society Foundation reveals that George Soros funded left-wing think tank Demos to fabricate data that exaggerated the problem of Islamophobia on social media. The left-wing think tank had recently released a controversial report that suggested Islamophobia was “rampant” on Twitter, leading to liberal media outlets demand that more rules, laws and regulations be imposed in order to deal with the alleged problem. Breitbart.com reports: Leaked documents from the Open Society Foundation (OSF) show that George Soros’ organization funded Demos to be able to...more »

An award winning Sky News journalist has been caught red-handed falsifying information during a terrorist report on television. Chief correspondent Stuart Ramsey is a “respected” multi-award winning journalist for his work on covering the Taliban. Now, Ramsey has found himself at the center of a potential court case, after Romanian officials accused him of faking an illegal arms deal during a report for Sky News. Anonhq.com reports: Ramsay’s undercover investigation, under Sky News sponsorship, exposed shocking deals with ISIS terrorists and arms trading in Europe. Reportedly, shipp...more »

Osama bin Laden’s son, Hamza bin Laden, has publicly called on the Saudi people to join global jihad around the world with the aim of overthrowing the monarchy end the US influence over the kingdom. In a new recording released on Wednesday, Osama’s son called on the Saudi youth to join his Yemen-based brothers in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) and “gain the necessary experience” in waging “intifada” to rid the country from the Saudi Royal family. Rt.com reports: The undated audio message is Hamza bin Laden’s fourth speech since August 2015, as he tries to assert his influence over th...more »

Newly released documents show that George Soros, via his Open Society NGO, secretly influenced the Ukraine government in 2014 to undermine Russia. In the recent 2,500 trove of leaked docments, one memo revealed the immense control Soros had over Ukraine following the illegal Maidan government overthrow. Theduran.com reports: Soros and his NGO executives held detailed and extensive meetings with just about every actor involved in the Maidan coup…from US Ambassador Geoffrey Pyatt, to Ukraine’s Ministers of Foreign Affairs, Justice, Health, and Education. The only person missing was Vi...more »

*First public/pubic Trumpanzee in Union Square-- Thursday morning* -by Helen Klein As the Trump campaign continues to implode, he may be sorry, very sorry, that he ever began his run for President. With all the horrors we already know about him, there is much more lurking just beneath the surface. The light of day has arrived and it should be in full sun, with no clouds hiding important and potentially candidate destroying information the American people have a right to know. In Matt Taibbi’s new *Rolling Stone* article, The Summer of the Shill, he declares what the role of the pre...more »

President Obama has hinted that people who deny that man-made global warming exists, may be barred from owning firearms under a new executive order about to be signed. In the last few days Obama has unveiled a number of new “executive actions” on guns, including plans to keep people deemed “mentally ill” away from guns. Naturalnews.com reports: The official White House fact sheet on Obama’s new regulations states: “Current law prohibits individuals from buying a gun if, because of a mental health issue, they are either a danger to themselves or others or are unable to manage their ...more »

Over half of the Clinton Foundation donors would be barred from contributing to the Clinton’s under new self-imposed rules banning corporate and foreign donors. Bill Clinton announced that should Hillary become President, the $2 billion Clinton Family Foundation will no longer be able to accept most of the money it currently receives. Zerohedge.com reports: To this we responded that this was to be expected: after all “once Hillary is president, she will no longer need a backdoor way of legally receiving Saudi and other foreign money: at that moment, billions in Saudi dollars will b...more »

A US Navy sailor was sentenced to a year in prison after he took photographs of alleged classified areas inside a nuclear attack submarine while it was in port in Connecticut. Kristian Saucier pleaded guilty last May in making the “foolish mistake” of unauthorized detention of military information, according to the Guardian newspaper. Presstv.com reports: He was facing five to six years in prison under federal sentencing rules and regulations, but on Friday, when the verdict was announced, he got away with only one year in prison for taking six pictures of classified areas inside t...more »

At least 22 people were killed and almost 100 wounded in a suspected suicide bombing at a Turkish wedding on Saturday. The suicide bomber targeted wedding celebrations in the Turkish city of Gaziantep, the governor confirmed, marking it the latest surge in violence in the Kurdish southeast. Authorities have halted all media coverage of the “barbaric” attack, but reports on social media show a suicide bomber blowing himself up right next to a huge outdoor wedding. Rt.com reports: Turkish national broadcaster NTV confirmed the news, saying a “terrorist attack” had targeted an outdo...more »

*Merrimacs enter, where calcifieds have failed* August 20, 2016 Merrimacs enter, where calcifieds have failed. Steadfastness of the Higher Light dissolve all blocks. Mortifications are annulled. Uplevellings are embraced. Necessities are only of the Light. https://gaiaportal.wordpress.com/2016/08/20/merrimacs-enter-where-calcifieds-have-failed/

I've been undergoing some healing work with the SA Medical Officer Raeno who is working with and through Beverly, my host here in Texas. I've noticed some shrinkage in my umbilical hernia. The hernia is a complex issue that may take some time as it has to heal in stages and move. I've got some data to post on that soon, I kind of put it off, as the thought of posting a photo of my hernia is, well somewhat embarrassing. But I don't know how to prove it unless I do a before and after photo, and we're not yet at the after point. I Many people are familiar with Reiki and this is ...more »

I've now updated the SEO on my website Mike Philbin Abstract Art and added quite a few new images, including a whole brand-new section called THREES which are those paintings that were done three-at-a-time. Click this link to visit the site, MIKE PHILBIN ABSTRACT ART.

*"Let us think the unthinkable, let us do the undoable, let us prepare to grapple with the ineffable itself, and see if we may not eff it after all."* *Auguries Of Innocence * *By William Blake* To see a World in a Grain of Sand And a Heaven in a Wild Flower, Hold Infinity in the palm of your hand And Eternity in an hour. A Robin Red breast in a Cage Puts all Heaven in a Rage. A dove house fill'd with doves & Pigeons Shudders Hell thro' all its regions. A dog starv'd at his Master's Gate Predicts the ruin of the State. A Horse misus'd upon the Road Calls to Heaven for ...more »

Now Coalescing around our future is that not spooky especially Mr Malthus's when we see our foot print is like five fold planetary expectations and we have been plowing this same field for generations without believing in the Bible especially the testament about fallow.

In the recent past, Facebook has advertised Britain First to me. It has dangled anti-semitic conspiracy sites before my eyes. I've had adverts for Nazi memorabilia and militaria. On occasion, it has even alerted me to *Gary Barlow* products. Imagine my surprise when, on Wednesday, I found this peddler of dodgy politics and suspect pastimes had banned me from posting links to this here blog. That's right, because - apparently - someone had made a complaint about my content, the site was on the naughty step before the ban was lifted this evening. Perhaps the fashions in the previous ...more »

This is unexpected good news. What is described is armor that is light and usable yet able to stop a bullet quite able to knock the victim down. This surely changes armor for light armored vehicles most interested in stopping anti personnel ordinance. It is also interesting that the same strategy acts well in countering radiation. We may have a strategy for protecting operators entering hot zones. Even setting panels in a hot zone is indicated here as weight is now a far lower problem. *Lightweight metal foam turns armor-piercing bullets into dust* *Nick Lavars April 10, 2...more »

This is an important idea. From the reports now to hand, it appears that the US government has been working with memory erasure protocols since the fifties with serious success. Hypnotism is featured as well as powerful drugs. This also included establishing a new narrative to fill in the time gaps. All this works on our physical brain but has zero effect on our consciousness. This is good news as the information itself is not lost. However, the encoded narrative in our brains can be both removed and altered. Since emotion loading is also applied for most memories, this mat...more »

This is a good report on the inspiration of the lost world. That the local tribe has a complete tradition while those elsewhere do not pretty clearly informs us of the existence of a refugio. The animal grouping is of the large types, who have clearly replaced their original diets successfully. Note the hunting of tapirs. That is a lot of meat. Thus we have an excellent indication of a true refugio comparable to the one we discovered in northern Australia. Why has this not been properly followed up? The main reason is of course that it is very difficult and the animals in ...more »

To make all this a little easier, it is best to understand that time as we perceive it is not continuous. It is best described as flipping pages. The pages are the thinnest possible ( inverse of empirical infinity ) and internally continuous. This allows consciousness to alter the pages at will locally at least. Our difficulty lies in accepting the active role of consciousness in all this. The moment you do that all paradoxes disappear. Recall that Houdini really slipped sideways using a time plane to pull off his escape tricks. He loudly claimed otherwise but that was to av...more »

* This is my article in BusinessWorld last August 17, 2016. Brownouts, actual and potential, have returned to some areas of Metro Manila and surrounding provinces in the Luzon grid over the past two weeks. This is unfortunate because electricity demand has somehow declined because of the colder, rainy season and more power plants have been added to the grid. This rare event was caused by heavy stress in the Luzon grid as a result of the unscheduled outage of several coal-fired, hydroelectric, oil, and geothermal power plants in the grid, many of them are already ageing. Among ...more »

Remember Isaac Newton's 3rd law of motion: *For every action, there is an equal, opposite reaction.* Apply in society: *For every government intervention and prohibition, there is an equal opposite distortion.* This news was reported last August 13, 2016. If government implements this, there will be MORE traffic congestion, not less, on Edsa and rest of M. Manila. Why? Because many of those probinsyanos/syanas who ride the provincial buses are car owners. They leave their cars in Pampanga, Tarlac, Bulacan, Pangasinan, Cavite, Batangas, Laguna, etc. when they go to Manila because it ...more »

[image: A car burns as a crowd of more than 100 people gathers following the fatal shooting of a man in Milwaukee, Saturday, Aug. 13, 2016. The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported that officers got in their cars to leave at one point, and some in the crowd started smashing a squad car's window, and another vehicle, pictured, was set on fire. The gathering occurred in the neighborhood where a Milwaukee officer shot and killed a man police say was armed hours earlier during a foot chase. (Calvin Mattheis/Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel via AP)] As violent race riots erupted in Milwaukee, Wi...more »

[image: The entrance to Uber’s headquarters in San Francisco is pictured on May 12, 2016.] Uber has been in a long fought battle with their drivers over fair treatment under federal and state law. The overarching discrepancy is whether drivers should be treated as full-time employees or independent contractors. Uber was set to pay up...more »

[image: This combination of undated booking photos provided by the Michigan Attorney General's Office on Friday, Aug. 19, 2016 shows current and former state employees under prosecution for their role in Flint, Mich.’s lead-contaminated water crisis. First row from left are Patrick Cook, Michael Glasgow, Corinne Miller, Nancy Peeler. Second row from left, are Michael Prysby, Adam Rosenthal, Robert Scott and Liane Shekter-Smith.] LANSING, Mich. (AP) -- The prosecution of current and former state of Michigan employees for their role in Flint’s lead-contaminated water crisis will likely...more »

[image: Navy sailor Kristian Saucier, 29, pleaded guilty on Friday, August 19, 2016, to unauthorized retention of national security information.] A Navy sailor was sentenced to a year in jail Friday for taking pictures of a nuclear propulsion system after he unsuccessfully used the "Hillary defense" in an attempt to avert the charge of unauthorized retention of defense information. Lawyers for...more »

Anthony Cox Fairfax is second only to the ABC in its witless support for alarmism and belief in man-made global warming (AGW). The 20.8.2016 edition of the Newcastle Heraldfeatured 2 particularly stupid alarmist articles. The first was by Wendy Squires and it was squalid in its sneering and vapid insult of recently elected senator Malcolm Roberts who recently made mince-meat of the darling of the alarmist groupies, professor Brian Cox. Squires said Roberts bleated, was a climate change denier and a climate change conspiracist. She also said Roberts was presented with evidence of AG...more »

*Should We Be Having Kids In The Age Of Climate Change?* *It's hard not to laugh but some galoot is trying below to convince women that they should not have babies because the babies are going to grow up into a world that is a few degrees warmer!I myself grew up into a world that was a LOT of degrees hotter -- in the tropics of Australia's Far North Queensland. And guess what? We had a life indistinguishable from Western civilization elsewhere! We probably drank more beer but that was about it it. No disaster at all!The high rainfall did give us problems with f...more »

The irving press. Section B. Page 3. "Kurdi says haunting photo of Syrian boy risks prolonging Middle Eastern conflict." (Kurdi is a woman now living in BC who was the aunt of the boy who was photgraphed drowned and lying face down on a Turkish beach about a year ago.) This is a magnificent report. And it's what most reporting is not. As Kurdi says, this recent photo of an injured boy was deliberately staged to encourage hatred of the Syrian government, and to prolong a terrible war. Any reporter (let alone any editor) who didn't know that is a half-wit. As well, all the news m...more »

Pre augmentation Meanwhile on the sub down below all the valves are blowing steam an it looks like the climack of Das Boot So hard to be self aware in the days of the selfie but I manage with my dial up personality Great Movies make great civilisations and that was a real factor in WW2 but great minds realise it was mostly propaganda and there were no good guys on either side There used to be good guys they stared in every western to bad in real life we all have feet of clay that is except me if you take me as your leader I will blow my trumpet and all the blues will move away I am a h...more »

[image: Daniel Stover, 17, wipes his head as he helps Laura Albritton, rescue personal belongings in Sorrento, La., Saturday, Aug. 20, 2016. Louisiana continues to dig itself out from devastating floods, with search parties going door to door looking for survivors or bodies trapped by flooding.] ST. AMANT, La. (AP) -- Louisiana continues to dig itself out from devastating floods, with search parties going door to door looking for survivors or bodies trapped by flooding so powerful in some cases it disturbed the dead and sent...more »

And now for something completely different (sorry)... St. Peter's Church, Heysham I love church bells. I love bells on Sunday, and Radio 4's *Bells on Sunday* . Bells rarely sound melancholy to me - even the ones I heard last Sunday, floating over the fields from St. John's Church, Silverdale. We were busy sticking our family nose into the garden of the late Victoria Wood's old house, situated on an out-of-the-way lane leading down to a lovely cove overlooking Morecambe Bay (house price guess: £400,000?), when they wafted our way. R Victoria would have heard them often. Even the...more »

A week or so ago, the editors of *Scientific American* did something I never saw them do before-- they took a partisan political stand. They didn't mention any names, but it's clear they had two rotten characters in mind, Donald J. Trump and one of his top enablers in Texas, House Science Committee chairman Lamar Smith. Smith's district is not some backward hellhole like Louie's Gohmert's district. TX-21 is a highly educated part of Texas stretching the downtown Austin and the fence around UT through the Texas Hill country, into San Marcos and down into San Antonio, including alm...more »

*Professor Criticized for Allegedly Talking about God in Ethics Class* News Channel 3 in Madison, Wisconsin is reporting that a professor at Madison Area Technical College is under investigation for allegedly talking about God in class. Velena Jones reports that student Dan Roberts complained when professor Hien Van Dong allegedly encouraged him to have "a personal relationship with a living God." Van Dong teaches a three-credit course, "Leadership Principles, Practices and Contemporary Ethical Implications to Develop the Leader within You." "Our text mentioned God a lot," Robert...more »

At a football (soccer) match between the Scottish Celtic team and an Israeli team, Hapoel Beersheba, hundreds of Celtic fans defied Scottish law to show their solidarity with Palestine and protest the Israeli occupation. Mondoweiss reports: There could be serious consequences for Celtic thanks to the protest, carried out in front of Israelis themselves. Fines and closures of their fans seating sections are possible, under UEFA rules. And a 2012 Scottish law against provocative political speech at sporting events makes the flag display an arrestable offense, although authorities rep...more »

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I've been 'around' for a few years now, pursuing the shifting goal of a sharable home-made surfers resource site focused on ease of use and variety of mostly adult ( whoa : I didn't say prurient ) content.